Yellowstone National Park Logs Fifth-Busiest July

Yellowstone National Park recorded its fifth-busiest July last month with 940,563 visits including the guy who is awaiting trial for harassing a bison.

July's number marked a decrease from a year ago, when the park recorded 962,414 visits, according to a news release.

So far this year, the park has hosted 2,322,270 visits, up slightly from the same period last year. Year-to-date visitation in 2018 is 19 percent higher than five years ago in 2014.

The list below shows the trend of visitation through July over the last five years:

2018 – 2,322,270.

2017 – 2,316,542.

2016 – 2,427,988.

2015 – 2,279,557.

2014 – 1,943,682.

The continued high level of visitation in the park underscores the importance of planning a Yellowstone adventure ahead of time.

Visitors should anticipate delays or limited parking at popular destinations, and check road conditions on the park’s website before they arrive.

Likewise, carefully review the park's rules and regulations. Visitors can be cited for speeding, open containers of alcohol in vehicles, possession of controlled substances, straying from marked trails and boardwalks, using drones, and harassing wildlife as in the case of Raymond Reinke.

More data on park visitation, including how park officials calculate these numbers, is available on the NPS Stats website.